Pound Lane () is a lane in

Sheung Wan Sheung Wan (Chinese: 上環) is an List of places in Hong Kong, area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central, Hong Kong, Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Weste ...

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...

, Hong Kong.

Location

Pound Lane is located between

Bonham Road Bonham Road (Traditional Chinese characters, Chinese: 般咸道) is a main road in West Mid-Levels, Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, running mainly East-West. The road connects Pok Fu Lam Road in the west, near the University of Hong Kong, an ...

and Hollywood Road. The Lane runs parallel to Po Yan Street and Upper Station Street.

Name

It was the site of a government pound where straying animals, like

cows Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...

and

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

, were kept.Antiquities Advisory Board (n.d.) Historic Building Appraisal Steps of Pound Lane Sheung Wan, H.K. p2. Available at:https://www.aab.gov.hk/filemanager/aab/common/historicbuilding/en/N27_Appraisal_En.pdf The Lane was built in 1863 and appeared on the Rates List for 1870. There was one Yee Yik occupied premises in the lane and he was a cowkeeper, while another building was occupied by one Chaoupai who was listed as a

goatherd A goatherd or goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. It is similar to a shepherd who herds sheep. Goatherds are most commonly found in regions where goat populations are significant; for instance, in Africa and South A ...

. The Chinese name mistakenly refers to the unit of measurement.

History

Pound Lane was an early Chinese settlement during Hong Kong's colonial period. After the plague broke out in Hong Kong in 1894, the Hong Kong government built Hong Kong's first public toilet with shower facilities in Pound Lane in 1904 in order to improve the sanitary environment in the area.

Nearby

Tung Wah Hospital Tung Wah Hospital is a charitable hospital in Hong Kong under the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Located above Possession Point at 12 Po Yan Street in Sheung Wan, it is the first hospital established in colonial Hong Kong for the general pub ...

* Tai Ping Shan Street * Blake Garden *

Po Hing Fong Po Hing Fong is a List of streets and roads in Hong Kong, street in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong. It is also a cul-de-sac. In recent years, it has transformed into a new funky neighborhood in Hong Kong and nicknamed "PoHo" as more artists and inte ...

* Catholic Mission School * Rutter Street * Government Quarters, Sheung Wan *

Hospital Road Hospital Road () is a street in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong. Features * King George V Memorial Park, Hong Kong, King George V Memorial Park * Prince Philip Dental Hospital * Tsan Yuk Hospital Intersections * Bonham Road * Pound Lane * Second Stre ...

* Hop Yat Church

Second mid-level escalator

The Central and Western District Council is considering installing a new escalator on Pound Lane, the Blake Garden area could well be on its way to becoming Hong Kong's next trendy neighbourhood. Urban planning critic John Batten, who has lived in the neighbourhood for nearly 20 years, is blunt about the prospects. "The escalator would be the death of the area," he said. Noise levels would increase, prices would go up and developers would be keen to exploit the area's 30-storey height limits. "You have to wonder who is pushing this idea behind the scenes," he said. The escalator's chief proponent has been the local branch of the

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) is a pro-Beijing political party registered since 1992 in Hong Kong. Chaired by Gary Chan and holding 19 Legislative Council seats, it is currently the largest party ...

, whose community relations officer, Kathy Siu Ka-yi, can be seen on dozens of posters and banners supporting the project.A sleepy area caught between slow gentrification or mass development
''South China Morning Post''. Christopher DeWolf. 27 March 2011.

References

External links

* Ladder streets in Hong Kong Sheung Wan Roads on Hong Kong Island {{HK-road-stub